Friends,
"The Lord was my stay." 2 Samuel 22:19
Stay?
Linguistically...I don't get out much. So when I first read this passage early this morning without enough coffee in the veins, I thought it was a misprint. So I read the surrounding verses about a person going through tough trials and rough spots of life. And what he found was that the Lord was his place to rest and be protected - his stay! (The other definition of the word)
Made a lot of sense to "stay" in a place that is the presence of protection and love and becomes a "stay" in the rough times.
I thought back to Luke Chapter 4's story that we read in church this weekend...about Jesus entering the wilderness...encountering the Devil...and beating the temptations because the Lord was his stay.
I ran into this YouTube video yesterday that I wished I would have found earlier, so I'll share it with you now. It's a cartoon (Steve's favorite artistic format) that shows the story of Jesus making the choice to walk out into the wilderness, spending 40 days of loneliness, contemplation and battling with the Devil's presence. You might want to read the story in Luke again as you watch it too. It shows the Devil offering those three temptations to Jesus and Jesus' response.
My favorite part is the end...exhausted...spent...and worn down...Jesus is carried. The Lord was his stay.
Whether you walked into the wilderness yourself today or were dragged there kicking and screaming...whatever day you are on...no matter how much/little energy you have left...please never forget, the Lord was...is...your stay.
Lord, thanks for carrying me. Amen
Still in One Peace,
ps
